Frances Rockmore Velie told an inspiring story about four courageous Quaker women who demonstrated meekness when they took bold action in World War II. They were living in German-occupied Toulouse, France when they learned that eight hundred captured Jews were packed on a train in a single cattle car and were heading for an occupation camp.
The train was scheduled to stop briefly in Toulouse. At that point, the Quaker women knew that those Jewish “passengers” would have traveled two days without water. Motivated to perform a mission of mercy, these four women grabbed every possible container. They labored through the night, pouring water into those vessels. They hoped to ease the torment of the suffering Jews. Unfortunately, they were stunned to discover when the train arrived that it did not contain eight hundred Jews but three thousand. Was it right for some not to receive water, particularly after watching others drink? The four missionaries of mercy almost gave up. But one Quaker would not accept surrender in the face of such an evil challenge. She walked up to the Gestapo officer in charge and, with dignity and great authority, demanded that the officer help them ease the suffering of the prisoners.
A long, uncomfortable silence ensured. Then, the Gestapo officer turned to his aide. “This woman is from the American Friends Service Committee,” he said. “The Quakers saved our village from starvation after the last war.”
“Yes,” mumbled the subaltern, “they fed us, too.”
The Gestapo officer ordered his men to move. They rounded up baskets of food and additional water from shocked villagers; Natiz soldiers were performing deeds of mercy. The suffering Jews received their water and food from their enemies.
The quiet strength of four Quaker women moved cold-hearted men–indoctrinated to kill–to comfort their enemies.
Jesus said, “…for they {the meek} shall inherit the earth.” Velie wrote that when Jesus said, “Inherit the earth,” he used imagery from the Old Testament, which the Jews associated with the Kingdom of Heaven. To “inherit the earth” meant that Jesus’ followers had the privilege of participating in the salvation of Humanity.
I am not a Quaker, but those four meek women clearly participated in Kingdom work on this earth 80 years ago. We would do well to do the same.